Toy construction card



March 30, 1937. H. A. BATTJES TOY CONSTRUCTION CARD Filed Feb. 13, 1956 m ql w AEILNO Q YZQL Patented Mar. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT *OTFFZ-IQE Claims.

This invention relates generally to toys and more particularly to a set of card units adapted to be used by children to educate and amuse themselves.

Briefly described, my invention consists of a deck of extremely attractive cards which are formed of flexible but self sustaining material. Two of the edges of each card are straight whereas the other two are formed with ears. The central part of each card is predeterminedly slotted in a novel manner. Furthermore, the card has pictures and the like on both of its sides. The above construction permits reversal of the several cards whereby they maybe used in many positions with pleasing efiect.

One main advantage of the invention is attained by the construction of the slits formed in the cards, these slits receiving either a single ear or two ears therein, as desired, and maintaining the ears against .accidental withdrawal.

Another feature, along this same line, lies in the novelly constructed type of slit. This slit will receive the ears at right angles thereto and maintain the two cards at right angles. And also, the ears may be slid through their receiving slits at approximately 45 in either direction and remain and be held in this position by the flexible portions of the card immediately adjacent the slit.

Another feature of this invention resides in its simplicity whereby the cards may be economically manufactured.

Also, the cards are light in weight and therefore cannot be forcibly thrown by a. child to create untoward results. They are also of durable character.

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing, constituting a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a typical view of one side of one of my cards. 7

Fig. 2 shows graphically the arrangement of the indicia on opposite sides of the several cards.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one construction which may be created from a deck of my cards.

Fig. 4 illustrates a cube formed from my cards.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view showing a typical connection between the ear of one card and the slit of another card.

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5 but showing an angular connection between two of the cards.

Referring to .Fig. 1, numeral 'I ll indicates a typical card, this card having ears H at oneof its ends and similar ears l2 at one. of its sides.

Three rows of slits l3, "I4 and [5 are formed behind the ears ll. .I'hefirst row of slits l.3 -is 5 located a distance a behind .the' bases of the ears II. The rows of slits l4 and I5 are spaced from each. other a distance at.

A row of slits l6, at rightangles to thepreviously mentioned slits, is located in alinernent with the ears l2 and spaced therefrom .a .distance :c. A second row-Ofslits I1 is located behind the several slits lia distancew.

The center of the ears H, as clearly shown in Fig.1, are located .oneehaliof the distance a: and one and one-half .of .thedistance m, respectively, from the line of the bases'oi theears I2.

The ends of each of .the slits throughthe card ID are cut as shown whereby the portion of the card adjacent the slit may be bent upwardly .as shownin Fig.5. This occurs when one of the ears is positioned at right angles to a second card In and the ear slid through one of the slits. V The portion of the card adjacent the .slit is flexed as shown and itsresiliency holdsthe .ear against accidental withdrawal and also in its right angled position.

If the ear is slid into the slit at 45 degrees, as shown in Fig. 6, the resilient sides of the slit assume the shape shown and maintain the cards at substantially a 45 angle.

Furthermore, if desired, the outer two of the three ears l2 may be inserted through the end slits l6 and I1 with the ear I! merely contacting the face of the opposedcard, thus causing the 35 two interlocked cards to assume a practically straight or very obtuse angle with respect to each other.

My deck of cards preferably consists of 36 cards. The graphical showing of Fig. 2 indicates 40 that one card has the letter A and its accompanying indicia on one side and the numeral 1 plus its indicia on the other side. The next card has the letter B opposed by the numeral 2. And so on.

In a pack of 36 cards printed with letters and numerals on each card each letter of the alphabet and each of the ten numerals will appear on two separate cards.

Inasmuch as it is conceivable that children who are learning rather elementaryspelling will wish to speed out their own names or other proper names with which they are familiar or the names of simple objects, it is preferable to so arrange the different letters that appear on opposite faces A study of a large list of proper names and 7 some objects revealed a certain number of letters which were very frequently used twice within the same name or object word, others which far less frequently were used twice within the same name or object and still another group of letters which rarely or never appear twice in the same word.

It is proposed thatithe ten --letters which are used most frequently together in a single name (A E I L N O R S T D) shall be printed on cards with the ten numerals on' the opposite faces.

Similarly, the ten numerals shall have the-above;

ten letters on their opposite faces of the cards.

The remaining 16 letters ot'the' alphabet are divided into two groups of 8 letters each. A group of eight letters used twice in the same word occasionally, B C F G H M P U, are placed on cards, each card with one of these letters having on its opposite face one of a group of letters which are most infrequently used in names or object words and almost never appeartwice in the same word.JKQVWXYZ.

Further, the group of eight letters whose letters are used twice in the same word occasionally are preferably paired (i. e. letters appearing on the opposite face ofthecard) in such a way that the necessity of using letters IOCEttGd'OH the opposite sides of the same cardis rare.

' In Fig.3, several cards 10 are interlockedto gether as shown to produce a toy house unit.

In Fig. 4, a cubical block construction is illus= trated. I c

'It will be appreciated that a very great num-' ber of different objects of manysizes and shapes can be formedby use of the cards. Theforegoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only and not as restrictive and 40 limitative of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is:

- 1. A toy card construction unit of the class described, comprising quadrilateral members formed of sheet material which is flexible but of self sustaining stiffness, each of said members being provided with a plurality of cars projecting from each of a pair of adjacently disposed sides of said unit,said member having rows of slits spaced rearwardly from those edges having the,

said ears, the slits being in alinement with the ears, the distance between the several rows of slits being equaLsaid slits receiving any of said ears as desired.

extending from one end of the card and three ears extending from one side of the card, a plurality of slits behind each ear, the several distances between the base of the ears and the first V slit therebehind and between the first slit and the i g 10 r 2. A card formed of resilient sheet material having substantially rectangular form, two ears tially the same length as the ears and so arranged so as not tojcross one another.

4. A toy card construction unit of the class de scribed, v comprising quadrilateral members formed of sheet material which isfiexible but of self sustaining stiffness, each of said members being provided witha plurality of ears projecting from each of a pair of adjacently disposed sides of said unit, said member having rows of slits extending lengthwise and-transversely across the sheet.

5. An amusement and educational device comprising a plurality of rectangularly shaped cards of the same size, each of said cards having a plu rality of cars on one'of its sides, and on one of its ends, the other end and side being of straight construction, slits being formed behind each of said ears in alinement therewith, said slits being of suflicient lengths to receive the ears.

HAROLD A. BATTJES. 

